The Transit Center will have an elevated bus deck for regional carriers, ground floor and rooftop retail, entertainment, conference, educational and cultural spaces. Below-grade levels for rail is a part of a planned district, as shown here on the project map:

No. 2 shows the temporary terminal.

No. 3 shows the new elevated bus ramp that will provide direct bus connections to and from the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge.

No. 4 indicates Folsom Street, the center of the new pedestrian-friendly neighborhood.

No. 5 shows the approximately 40 acre Transit Center District.

No. 6 shows the 1.3-mile underground rail line from Caltrain’s current terminus.

Phase 1 of the project, to be completed in 2017, includes the million square foot terminal and foundations for two below-grade train levels. San Francisco’s Planning Department and its Office of Community Investment and Infrastructure worked with the TJPA to guide future growth in this once low-rise manufacturing part of the city’s downtown. The district will be high-density and mixed-use, with commercial and retail space, hotels, market-rate housing, affordable housing and 11 acres of open space. A limited number of buildings are allowed to exceed San Francisco’s 550-foot height limit.

The Transbay Transit Center’s funding reflects the collaborative nature of the undertaking with national, state, and local governments contributing to the approximately 2.3 billion Phase 1 construction costs. A $171 million loan from a new U.S. Department of Transportation program that supports important national or regional surface transportation projects—the Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act of 1998 (TIFIA)—allows the TJPA to minimize the borrowing needed for Phase 1. It will be repaid with the increased taxes generated by the increased land value of the commercial, retail, and housing developed by the project. The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration, responsible for dispersing American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 high-speed rail funds, committed $400 million to the project. Federal Transportation Administration grants provided $68 million.

The state of California contributed approximately 12 acres of state-owned land that was available because several elevated freeways in the vicinity of the old Transbay Terminal were damaged by the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake and had to be demolished. Land sales are contributing approximately $515.6 million. Regional Measures 1 & 2, whereby voters approved increases in Bay Area bridge tolls, will contribute $197 million. The county of San Mateo and the city and county of San Francisco are also contributing. The table below shows the contributors and the amounts as of June 2016.

Author: Dr. Linda L. Day is emeritus professor of city and regional planning at California Polytechnic State University and contributing faculty to the public policy and administration program at Walden University. Dr. Day authored This House is Just Right: A Design Guide to Choosing a Home and Neighborhood. She blogs for Planetizen.com about urban redevelopment and municipal finance. Follow Dr. Day on Twitter @LindaLouiseDay1.

(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

Loading...

About

The American Society for Public Administration is the largest and most prominent professional association for public administration. It is dedicated to advancing the art, science, teaching and practice of public and non-profit administration.